New study: What happens when we increase drip irrigation during heatwaves in CA vineyards?

Heatwaves are getting hotter, longer, and more frequent. They can be particularly challenging to manage in perennial crops, like CA winegrapes that can experience both water and heat stress. Increasing irrigation can help winegrapes cope, but vineyard responses have not been comprehensively studied. We measured vineyard physiology and biometeorology in response to different drip irrigation treatments surrounding three heatwaves in 2021 using a combination of remote and proximal sensing approaches – satellite, drone, and tower-based methods – to measure land surface temperature and actual evapotranspiration at a variety of scales. This new study led by Andrew Gal (PhD candidate!) demonstrated that “increased drip irrigation addresses vine water stress and increases leaf transpiration during heatwaves but does not provide the evaporative cooling benefits demonstrated by high-pressure, high-flow irrigation systems (e.g., center pivot irrigation).” Check out the article in Agricultural Water Management here!